5.9 earthquake rattles Japan: 23 injured, trains disrupted; no tsunami threat

A moderate earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 rattled eastern Japan, including the Tokyo area, early Sunday, injuring more than 20 people, most of them slightly, officials said. There was no danger of a tsunami.The quake struck southern Ibaraki prefecture at a depth of about 70 kilometres (42 miles), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The US Geological Survey put the preliminary magnitude at 5.8. The region is among the parts of Japan frequently hit by earthquakes.At least 23 people were injured across four prefectures; nine each in Saitama and Kanagawa, four in Chiba and one in Ibaraki; with most injuries being due to people being jolted awake and falling or crashing into furniture and doors as they scrambled out of bed, local officials said.In Yokohama, an elderly woman suffered a serious hip injury after falling from her bed, the Yomiuri newspaper reported.The strong shaking also disrupted transport across the region. Express trains serving Tokyo and Narita Airport were delayed, along with some local services in northeastern areas, while Shinkansen bullet trains continued to run normally, East Japan Railway Co. said.The quake triggered emergency alerts on mobile phones and was strongly felt in Tokyo. Authorities moved quickly to assess the damage, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi saying the government had set up a task force for the response.Some infrastructure was affected. An underground water pipe burst in Tokyo's Koto ward, flooding part of a road before the leak was stopped after repairs. Power was also knocked out for about 460 homes in Tokyo, though electricity was restored by later Sunday morning, TEPCO Power Grid said.Despite the shaking, there were no reports of problems at around a dozen nuclear power plants or other facilities handling nuclear materials, the Nuclear Regulation Authority said.The earthquake comes weeks after a much stronger magnitude 7.1 quake struck the Kumamoto area on Kyushu, Japan's southernmost main island. That disaster killed 38 people, injured 364 and destroyed more than 1,500 buildings, while nearly 20,000 others were damaged.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.